May 24, 2012

John Danks will be placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday’s series opener against the Indians, and Jose Quintana will be called from Triple-A Charlotte to temporarily take Danks’ spot in the rotation.

Danks, 27, felt out-of-the-ordinary soreness in the sub scapular area, which is the back of his left shoulder, when he tried playing catch Sunday after throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a Saturday victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The durable starter talked to general manager Ken Williams, manager Robin Ventura and head athletic trainer Herm Schneider, and after a MRI was done on Thursday, they decided the best course of action was a safe one for a pitcher who had one previous DL trip last season with a strained right oblique.

… A trip to the disabled list, retroactive to his start against the Cubs on Saturday, means Danks will miss the Indians and then the series finale at Tampa Bay on May 30. If all goes well, Danks will be eligible to return on a June 4 off-day and then would face the Blue Jays at home on June 5 without any Minor League rehab work needed.

Nestor Molina RHP White Sox – age 23– Leading the SL in walk rate with just a 3.2%. He was the key piece to the Sergio Santos deal and will need to up the K rate some if he’s going to be that mid rotation starter the Sox hoped they were getting. He has excellent command of his pitch arsenal. Can he be dominant? One answer to many questions is that he is a SP long term. But where does he slot?

Jose Quintana LHP White Sox – age 23 – Another lesser known arm. This lefty has struck out 26 in 35.1 IP with a 3.03 ERA. The production is there for the southpaw and he’s walked just 7.3% of hitters. He’s bounced from the Mets to the Yankees and now with the White Sox he may be poised tos tep forward as a SP option.

Andre Rienzo, RHP White Sox – Age 23 – Rienzo has toiled around the White Sox organization since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2006. He’s been effective, yet not dominant in his 5 seasons of professional ball. In his first go round in the Carolina League he went 6-5 with a 3.41 ERA and 118/66 K/BB ratio for 2011. The walks were concerning to us, coupled with the fact he gave up 108 hits. He’s lucky his ERA wasn’t much higher. Pan forward to 2012 and he was off to a 3-0 start with a 1.08 ERA a 31/7 K/BB ratio over 25 innings. Throw in just 17 hits and he’s got a sub 1.00 WHIP. Sadly, He’s been suspended for 50 games for violating Minor League Baseball’s drug prevention and treatment program.

2) Addison Reed, RHP, Grade B+: The best closer prospect in baseball thanks to superior command of 93-97 MPH fastball and devastating slider. You can make a case to rank him ahead of Molina, if you think Molina will be a reliever.

3) Tyler Saladino, SS, Grade C+: 2010 seventh round pick out of Oral Roberts developed from draft sleeper into solid prospect. Good power for a middle infielder, and has some idea about the strike zone, scouts like his work ethic. Main issue now is if he can stick at shortstop, and I think he has a decent chance to do so.

4) Trayce Thompson, OF, Grade C+: Highest-ceiling bat in system, tapping into his power now and making good progress on defense. Kills lefties but has serious contact problems against right-handed pitching. Struck out 172 times while repeating Low-A. Has the tools to be a star slugger but also carries a high risk of failure.

5) Hector Santiago, LHP, Grade C+: Came out of nowhere to reach the majors (briefly) in 2011 thanks to development of a new screwball to go with 90-95 MPH fastball. Third pitch still needs work and it is unclear if he starts or relieves in the long run, although recent rumors indicate the Sox will continue to start him. Projects as number three/four starter if third pitch develops, or a power relief arm.